This sweet and genuine Tibetan comedy was promoted as a feel-good foreign flick, but anyone looking for guffaws and big feel-good moments will miss out on all the small, quiet pleasures The Cup has to offer. Set in a Tibetan monastery-in-exile in India, the movie follows a few young monks whose devotion to Buddhism is rivaled by their fervor for football (soccer). They risk punishment to sneak out at night and watch games on a black and white TV in a neighboring house.
One night they get into a squabble and are kicked out of the house; then, to make matters worse, they get caught by a stern monastery official named Geko. But the World Cup final match is the very next night! They beg the abbot of the monastery to let them rent a TV and satellite dish so they can watch the final game, and Geko and the abbot relent. Now, if they can only gather the money and assemble the satellite dish, the game is within their grasp.
The Cup contrasts the abbot's gentle musings about progress with the young monks' enthusiasm, but avoids being too didactic about its points. Instead, the movie favors light humor and quiet observations of character, slowly accumulating a bemused sense of the contradictions of modern life. The movie centers on a surly but immensely charming young monk and rabid football fan named Orgyen, whose implacable determination to see the World Cup match is tested when he realizes he's jeopardized what another young monk holds dear.
Filmed on location at Chokling Monastery, India ~ vibrant 16:9 transfer direct from film to HD master.
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